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Translated by NALINI KANTA GUPTA

A TAGORE SONG

“Protect Me when in danger,�
Such is not my prayer, o Lord!�
Rather to fear not when in danger.
In grief and pain, when the heart is sore
I do not crave for solace,
Rather to conquer grief and pain.
When no help or aid is near,
To hold my own strength unbroken:
When the world brings nothing but loss
and the only gain is frustration,
Not to let my soul yield and sink.

Lighten my burden, bring me comfort;
Such is not my prayer, 0 Lord!
Rather to be strong to bear the burden.
In days of happiness, with bowed head,
To look and find your face,
In unhappy nights
When the whole earth turns away,
Never to doubt of your presence.

ONWARD

You must tear off the bonds of the finite:
Mother Infinity has sent you the call.
How long would you remain a prisoner?
She is waiting for you, the Mother.

The endless path of Her Grace She has laid
That welcomes you in your journey to Her.
The Mother Light signals you the way
Lifting Her finger, a beacon sun–Arise and onward!

The ties that bind you to your own, O traveller, must not hold you down
Any more–Stand unflickering�  
And listen, in your heart, the ringing word
Shankara uttered, his soul transfixed on the Mother:

“You are my refuge, my sole refuge,
you,alone, O Mother!�
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